Automatic fuel-vaporizer.



L. L. YODER & F. A. VICKERY.

AUTOMATIC FUEL VAPORIZER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28. I911.

1 ,273,565. Patented July 23, 1918. I 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

17 P 1 l fi Levi 'L ..Y|:1der' :E Fank .FLVi cker L| L. L. YODER & F. A. VICKERY.

AUTOMATIC FUEL VAPORIZER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28.1;11.

Patented July 23, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

art-m1 I row l .evi Lyc'lder' F3 111 AfVickerH A; aftozmufl snares Parana" OFFICE.

LEVI I. YODER AND FRANK A. VICKERY, 01 POMLALND, OREGON.

AUTOMATIC FUEL-VAPOBIZER;-

To all whom it may concern:

Be 'it known that'we,LnvI L. Your]: and

FRANK- A. VICKERY, citizens of the United States, and residents of Portland, in. the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in: Automatic Fuel-Vaporizers,

to the charge as the latter is delivered into the engine.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device for drawingheated vapor from a suitable source of heated water supply, such as the radiator of a water-cooled internai combustion engine, to adniix with the-vapor a quantity of. air, and to ,then deliver' thead'mixture to the manifold to commingle with the charge and thoroughly break up and vaporize the particles thereof which usually burn when delivered to thev cylinder and form carbon deposits therein; thus not only effectively preventing the formotion of carbon in the engine,.but also insuring andincrcasing the efficiency of the engine, and economizing in the consumption of the fuel.

The invention further aims at the rovision of a device of this character which is automatic in action without the provision of any adjusting means or other devices] which inust be operated and: fixed for engines varying in size, and for various speeds of the'engine. The device'of this invention .is so constructed asto automatically feed Specification of Letters Patent. 7

" a plicat n meanness; 1911. Serial 1%. 177,601.

Patented July 23, 1918'.

ing illustrated in the" accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fuel vaporizer constructed according to the present invention and as applied to an internal combustion engine for automobiles.

2 is ato plan view of the same. Flg'. 3 is a etail side elevationof the body part of the fuel vaporizer, enlarged, and the inner side of the same being shown.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken substantially centrally through the same onth'e'line" H of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section taken in aFn egewise direction on the line 5'--5 of ig. 6 is afra'gmentary sectional view of the upper end of the body part taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5 and looking inthe direction of the arrow.

Fi 7 is a detail perspective view of ashiel employed inthe body part.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates the casing or body oh the fuel vaporizer which is of relatively flat formation, and which is adapted to be connected to one side of the intake'man-ifold A of the internal combustion engine-B.

The casing 10 is divided into upper and lower compartments by the provision of a horizontally extending partition 11' which extends su stantia'lly the entire length of the body 10,-and which is upturned at one end to provide averticai wall'12 forming, together with the adjacent end of the casing 10, a restricted passage or neck portion leadin fnomthe'lower compartment. The partitionwall 11 is preferably arranged near the upper end or top 13 of the body 1'0-to= lower compartment,

form a relatively large and a relatively'smai upper compartment.

The wall 12 extends at its lateral edges to the top or cover 13, and is provided intermediate its lateral'edges with a substantially V-shaped opening or port 14' intercommunieating the upper and lower compartments.

A'n attaching nipple'leis secured through one end of the body 10below the partitionwall 11, and is adapted to be connected to a vapor supply tube-16 which may be fiexi ble or otherwise, and which is connectediat its opposite end to the upperportion of the" radiator O of the internal combustion-err gine B. The tube 16 is adapted to withdraw heated air and vapor 'from the top of the radiator C and deliver the same into they lower compartment of the body 10. The

lower com artment of the body 10 is sub-.

may arise when the water in the radiator C reaches the boiling point, and the heavy vapor or boiling water is drawn into the pipe 16 and delivered into the body 10.

The body 10 is further rovided, upon its inner side, or the side a jacent the intake manifold A, withan outlet nipple 19, in the form of a valve adapted to be attached to the manifold A for delivering vaporized air and water from the body 10 to the manifold. The valve is provided with an operating arm 20 connected to a rod 21 extend ing rearwardly and through the dash or instrument board D of the automobile. The rod 21 may be provided with a suitable hand portion by means of which the rod may be moved longitudinally through a friction bushing 22, the latter retaining the rod 21 in an adjusted position so as to hold the valve 19 open to the desired extent. A second mass of absorbent material 23, such as sponge, is placed inthe upper compartment upon the partition 11, for the purpose of absorbing and holding moisture which passes from the lower compartment over the upper edge of the wall 12 into the upper compartment. A shield 24;, preferably in the form of a metallic sheet blank bent substantially U-shaped is placed in the upper compartment upon the partition 11 and about the outlet opening of the nipple 19. From Fig. 4, it will be noted that the intermediate portion of the shield 24ers spaced from the'inner end of the nipple 19, and that it retains the absorbent body 23 out of contact with the nipple and thus prevents the clogging of the passage through the nipple. Preferably, notches or openings 25 is formed in the lower edge of the shield 24- to intercomrnunicate the inclosed portion within the shield 24 with the remaining portion of the upper compartment so that the absorbent 23 may absorb any liquid which flows into the shield 24, and thus prevents the locking of the outlet nipple 19 by water or the like. The top 13 of the body 10 is provided with a a number of as. of at.suba eantfan m 'munic ates with the upper com a may be. located immediately a ove the vertical wall 12 and over the ropenin' ld'there-i through. The valve may be 13 for introducin gasolene imo the upper compartment or passage into the manifold through the nipple 19 to prime the motor. In

present-instance, the valve is in the form of a riser 26, which opens down-wardl through the top 13, and which 'is'provided with. a sleeve. 27 thereabout ap'ertured at one side. The riser 26 is closed at its top and providedwith a lateral opening adapted to register with the'lateral opening in the sleeve 27, the riser 26 is threaded at its lower end for engagement with the top 13, and is provided with an enlarged head or shoulderat its upperend for engaging with the top of the sleeve 2? to hold the latter in place. The sleeve 27 is preferably rovided with a milled flange outstanding rom the upper end thereof, as shown at 28, by means 0 which the sleeve 27 may be turned into various positions for moving the'opening, riser, and sleeve into and. out of register to the desired extent. p 1

In use the body 10 is connected at its upper er i by means of the nipple 19 to the intake manifold A of the internal combustion engine. When the engine B isin operation, the suction through the intake manifold is communicated to the interior of the body 10 and through the pipe 15. Air and vapor are drawn from the top of the radiator G into the lower compartment of the body 10, and upwardly through the neck. and over the wall 12 into the u per compartment. The absorbent material 1 and 23 maintains the air in each compartment thoroughly saturated with water, so that a vapor heavily laden with moisture is delivered to the upper compartment. The air valve in the top of the body 10 is suitably adjusted for delivering the desired quantity of air into the upper compartment, the air being delivered at that point within the body ld-over which the vapor from the lower compartment passes into the upper compartment. The

air is thus thoroughly admixed with the vapor, and the ,air is thoroughly saturated fuel thus thoroughly vaporized increases the efficiency of the engine, prevents the deposlt of carbon in the engine, and effectually completes consumption of the fuel in the engine so as to economize in the use of the fuel.

The device is automatic in adjustment in that the greater the suction from the engine, the more vapor will be raised from the lower compartment in the "body 10, and the absorbent material 17 and 23 will raise by capillary action, the water from the bottoms of the upper and lower compartments, and thus insure the saturation of the air which passes through the body 10.

When starting the engine, the rod 21 may be manipulated to entirely close the nipple 19 and thus shut off the body 10 from the intake manifold A. The valve or nipple 19 may be adjusted by the rod 21 during the operation of the engine so as to produce the best results without the necessity of raising the hood and adjusting the parts under conditions which are not the normal working conditions of the engine. a It is readily noted that the device occupies but relatively small space, ma be easily attached to the manifold, an comprises but relatively few parts which may be easily and economically manufactured and assembled.

It is of course understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

We claim 1. A fuel vaporizer for internal combustion engines, comprising a casing adapted to be connected at its upper end to the intake manifold of the engine, and adapted to contain moisture in its lower end, the casing having a horizontal partition dividing the easing into upper and lower compartments, the partition having an opening therethrough intercommunicating the compartments, the suction of the engine being adapt ed to raise moisture from the lower into the upper compartment, and means opening into the casing near said opening in the partition for admitting air to the moisture as the latter enters the upper compartment.

2. In a fuel vaporizer, the combination of a casing adapted for communication at its lower end with the radiator of an internal combustion engine, an outlet nipple connected to the upper end of the casing and adapted for attachment to the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine, said casing being provided therein with a relatively narrow passage between its upper and lower portions through which "the vapor delivered to the casing from the radiator is upper end to the manifold and adapted to be oxhausted thereby, said casing having a partition therein dividing the casing into upper and lower compartments and with a restricted passage between the compartments, an absorbent fillin the lower compartment,'means operatedy suction in the casing for feeding moisture to the absorbent, and means for admitting air to the casing in said restricted passage for admixing air with the moisture passing into the upper compartment.

4. In a fuel vaporizer, the combination of a casing having a partition therein dividing the easing into upper and lower compartments, a pipe leading from the lower compartment and adapted for attachment to the upper end of the radiator of an internal combustion engine, an attaching nipple connected to the upper end of the casing and communicating with the upper compartment, and adapted for connection with the intake manifold of the engine, said casing being provided with a restricted passage be tween the'upper and lower compartments through which the vapor from the lower compartment is adapted to pass into the up per compartment, and an adjustable valve opening through the casing and adapted to deliver air to said restricted portion of the casing, for admixing air with the vapor in its passage from the lower to the upper compartment.

5. In a fuel vaporizer, the combination of a casing, a partition arranged in the upper end of the casing providing upper and lower compartments therein and havin one end upturned and forming between said end and the adjacent portion of the casing, a relatively narrow neck, said upturned end of the partition having a relatively small opening therethrough intercommunicating the flows from said narrow neck material arranged in the upper and lower compartments, a pipe leading from the upper end of the lower compartment and adapted for colmection-with the upper end of the radiator of an internalcombustion engine, an outlet nipple leading from the.

upper compartment and adapted for atteclr ment to the intake manifold of the engine, a Valve in said outlet nipple for controlling the suction in the casing, and an air Valve opening through the casing between said compartments to edmix air with the vapor when the latter is drawn from the upper to the lower'compartment, said lower compartment being provided with an opening in the 1 v glue.

LEVI L. tome. FRANK A. VIOKERY. 

